A mock-up of Florida driver's license shows the changes front and rear. | Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Published on May 7, 2026 at 3:53 pm
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Here’s something to keep in mind with election season in the offing:
If you recently got a new driver’s license, you could have trouble getting a mail-in ballot for upcoming elections.
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That’s what Jacksonville Today reader Shane B. recently found out. Voters who get a new driver’s license need to tell the Duval County supervisor of elections.
“You have to call the (elections) office and update your license number, and give them the last four of your Social Security number in order to get a new mail-in ballot for the upcoming elections,” Shane said.
That’s true, says Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland. He wants all registered voters to know about it.
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If you get a new driver’s license, let the elections office know because you won’t be able to register for a ballot online until your information is updated. You also could have problems signing petitions for ballot initiatives, Holland said.
The elections office matches the driver’s license number on the petition with the one it has on record. If it doesn’t match, then the signature would not be counted.
Holland also offered this advice to voters: A new driver’s license also has a new driver’s license number. You can tell by focusing on the two-digit number in the middle of the string of figures over the driver’s name on the front of the card, he said.
“You can tell if you have a new number if the two-digit number in your driver’s license number does not represent the last two digits of your birth year,” Holland said. “It is a new DL number.”
Holland said the license bureau should ask the person getting a new license if they want to update their voter registration. But to be safe, contact his office with the new number anyway.
Vote-by-mail modifications
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles made some changes in drivers licenses seven years ago, removing the magnetic strip on the back of the card, adding a tactile security feature to the front and changing some of the data layout.
In August 2020, the department added more enhancements, including redundant sexual predator and sexual offender designations as well as more ultraviolet features, to increase security and reduce the risk of fraud.
Holland’s office sent out a news release in late March reminding voters that all previous vote‑by‑mail requests expired in December 2024. He encouraged any voter who wishes to vote by mail in the 2026 election cycle to submit a new request.
To request a vote‑by‑mail ballot, log into duvalelections.gov, or call (904) 255‑8683 (VOTE).
